Nathaniel Hackett talking in circles to try to explain bad Jets offense

Once again, Nathaniel Hackett isn’t at a loss for words.

He’s just at a loss for making much sense.

The former Denver Broncos head coach, who was fired after just miserable 15 games in 2022, is now the offensive coordinator of the New York Jets. We’ll see how much longer that lasts.

The Jets just demoted QB Zach Wilson all the way to third-string and are starting Tim Boyle moving forward. Former Denver quarterback Trevor Siemian is now No. 2 on the depth chart.

And while obviously a lot of New York’s problems can be traced to Aaron Rodgers tearing his Achilles, Hackett’s offense has been awful, just like it was in Denver a season ago. This stat from our senior Broncos writer Andrew Mason is jarring.

Update: In Nathaniel Hackett’s last 18 games as a play-caller, his offenses have generated one or fewer touchdowns 15 times. https://t.co/JCaKyxZh6Y

— Andrew Mason (@MaseDenver) November 20, 2023

That is stunningly bad! And before a garbage time touchdown against the Bills, Hackett’s Jets had gone a mind-boggling 40 drives and 13 quarters without reaching the end zone. It’s almost like Broncos head coach Sean Payton was on to something when he ripped Hackett’s tenure in Denver.

And on Wednesday, Hackett went to the podium and just stared speaking. The following tweet is an actual quote, but the definition of talking in circles and a whole bunch of word salad.

Nathaniel Hackett: "When it comes to stats, there's so many different ways to look at numbers. Good, bad. There are people throughout this league that have been very, very good. There are those that are not as good. That fluctuates. There are so many things that change. That's…

— Zack Rosenblatt (@ZackBlatt) November 22, 2023

“There are so many different ways to look at numbers,” is a great attempt to try to deflect from all the bad numbers listed above. They’re just pitiful — no matter how you slice them.

Meanwhile, after throwing only 16 touchdowns all of last season, Broncos QB Russell Wilson already has 19 this year — in 10 games. That’s tied for third in the NFL with the likes of Dak Prescott, Patrick Mahomes and Justin Herbert. In other words, some pretty good company.

Denver was smart to cut bait with Hackett so quickly, and the Jets might have to do the same soon. It’s hard to imagine any NFL team giving him another chance, but he’ll keep talking like he’s smarter than the rest of us in hopes they do.